Ahhh Spring!!! The Interlochen Guitar Ensemble recently took a hike to one of the more remote cabins on campus and I shot a video of them performing a piece by the great Brazilian composer Paulo Bellinati.
The first guitar concert of the Fall was an off-campus event: my solo recital at Kirkbride Hall in Traverse City. It was a delight having the whole studio attend, big thanks to my colleague and friend Laura Brown (collaborations coming soon...) for taking on chaperone duties!
Thomas Viloteau, the brand-new Guitar Professor at Peabody Institute popped in for a masterclass. Pictured above: Thomas and Sting Asistores after a killer lesson on one of Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Caprichos de Goya.
Maestro Marcin Dylla's residency was a jaw-dropping, joy-filled wonder-fest, with hours of insightful teaching, a few panini's at Bud's, about 400 cups of espresso and...
I love having the opportunity to discuss all things guitar with Amanda Sewell on In Studio A! This time around, we talked about lute tablature, concert halls (the good, the bad, and the carpeted), and I played some music by Anton Diabelli and David Kellner. You can listen to the show here
I recently had a chance to sit down with Interlochen Public Radio host extraordinaire Amanda Sewell. We discussed Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez, Gaspar Sanz' uber-famous setting of the Canarios, and the best Thanksgiving day I ever had. Here's a link to the show.
June 23-July 14: High School Classical Guitar Camp at Interlochen
Kick off your summer with an intensive, 3-week study of the classical guitar. You’ll work with world-class faculty, challenge yourself with exciting solo and ensemble repertoire, and explore the nuts-and- bolts of guitar technique. I'm still accepting applications. For more info, visit:
July 15-Aug 6: High School Singer-Songwriter Camp at Interlochen
I'm excited to be a part of this storied program in 2018! The three-week singer-songwriter program will help you hone your writing and performance skills under the guidance o...
Hey gang! I'm playing some Rodrigo with soprano Laura Osgood Brown and Piazzolla with Bryan Conger (Interlochon's new clarinet instructor) in Traverse City October 12. The concert will be in the gorgeous Kirkbride Hall at The Commons, and features a bunch of Interlochen faculty doing what they do in a chamber music setting. Here's a link for tix.
....and then...I'm playing November 9 with the amazing singer-songwriter Courtney Kaiser-Sandler. The band consists of Crispin Campbell (cello instructor/IAA) and John Driscoll on drums, and me with the old tele. Grab tickets early for this one folks. Here's a link.
The title for this piece is borrowed from 19th century biologist Ernst Haeckel's theory that all life originated from a single protoplasm somewhere in the gunk at the bottom of the ocean. When Haeckel and his contemporaries introduced this idea to the nonscientific community, it caused more than a little discomfort. Apparently, the idea that homo sapiens evolved from gooey oceanic slime is somehow less appealing than having been formed out of dirt by a deity who vaguely resembles Jeff Bridges, and who’s attitudes toward his creation alternate between complete indifference and utter psychosis.
It’s been a century since Haeckel postulated in favor of the sli...
I recently recorded one of my favorite works in the guitar repertoire, J.S. Bach's Prelude Fugue and Allegro, BWV 998. It's been frigid and snowy in Northern Michigan, and I took great pleasure in working through this masterpiece in my cozy and warm studio. The video to the left is the complete work. Click on the links below to listen/watch individual movements. I'll be making a more of these videos and posting them to YouTube, please check out my YouTube channel.
I'm excited to announce that I'll be joining the music faculty at the storied Interlochen Arts Academy Fall, 2016. I'll be teaching classical and commercial guitar, conducting the guitar ensemble, co-directing the House Band (IAA's commercial music ensemble), and working with Singer-Songwriters.
I'm humbled and honored to be working with some of the most talented high school students in the country, and to be teaching alongside a remarkable faculty. More soon!
